Bugler
ca. 1760
Medium
Lead-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Height: 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
British, Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973
Accession Number
1974.356.296
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th British ceramics with *Bugler*, a charming lead-glazed earthenwareine from Staffordshire, circa 1760. Attributed to the "Whieldon type"—a nod to master potter Thomas Whieldon 6-inch (15.2 cm) sculpture captures a lively musician sounding his bugle. Whieldon's innovative workshop revolutionized affordable decorative pottery, using lead glazes to achieve glossy, jewel-toned finishes in mottled greens, yellows, and blues that mimicked pricier porcelain. Produced during Staffordshire's golden age of "staffage" figures, these small-scale models depicted everyday...
About the Artist
Whieldon type
**Whieldon Type: Pioneers of Colorful Staffordshire Earthenware** Whieldon type pottery represents the work of anonymous Staffordshire potters active in Britain during the mid-18th century, roughly 1740–1770, who produced innovative lead-glazed earthenwares that brought vibrant color and whimsy to everyday tableware and ornaments. Emerging from the fertile pottery district of Staffordshire, these...